MLB Player News

The Nationals activated Law (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Monday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Law has been shelved since mid-August with ulnar nerve irritation in his pitching elbow but recently faced hitters with no issues, clearing the way for his return. The veteran reliever will return to a middle-relief role for the Nationals.

McCaughan allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over four-plus innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Giants. He struck out two.

McCaughan gave up two runs through four frames, including a leadoff shot by Mike Yastrzemski. McCaughan was pulled after putting the first two batters on base to begin the fifth inning and was charged with both runs. It was his first MLB appearance since Aug. 8 and third since the start of August. In those three outings, he's posted a 4.00 ERA with a 7:1 K:BB over nine frames. It's unclear if he'll get another turn through the rotation, but McCaughan is tentatively lined up for a home start against the Phillies this weekend.

Faucher struck out all three batters he faced to earn a save over San Francisco on Sunday.

Faucher needed just 13 pitches (10 strikes) to roll through the Giants and close out the 7-5 win. He converted both save chances while striking out five in two perfect innings during the weekend series against San Francisco, and he's now tossed four straight scoreless innings. Since taking over the closer role in Miami after the trade deadline, Faucher has converted six of seven save chances while registering a 4.15 ERA and a 19:6 K:BB through 13 frames. On the year, he owns a 3.25 ERA over 52.2 innings.

Bender (shoulder) struck out two batters and gave up one earned run on three hits and no walks over one inning in a rehab appearance Saturday with Triple-A Jacksonville.

Bender threw 20 pitches in the rehab outing, his first since landing on the injured list Aug. 15 with a right shoulder impingement. He'll likely need to get in another appearance or two in the minors before rejoining the Miami bullpen, likely as a setup option in front of new closer Calvin Faucher.

Brewer (hand) began a rehab assignment Saturday at Triple-A Iowa and struck out one batter over a perfect inning.

After tossing 17 pitches in a game at the Cubs' complex in Arizona on Tuesday, Brewer got his rehab assignment formally underway over the weekend. The 31-year-old has been on the injured list since July 7 due to a fractured left hand, so he'll likely need at least a couple more outings in the minors to get back up to speed before the Cubs activate him.

Romero (6-2) allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win over the Yankees on Sunday.

Romero became the pitcher of record after the Cardinals rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh inning. He allowed four runs over 9.1 innings in August, adding four holds and two blown saves in a setup role. For the year, Romero has a 2.67 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 49:13 K:BB with 30 holds over 54 innings as the Cardinals' top lefty reliever.

Vodnik (biceps) has an "aggressive" side session scheduled for Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Vodnik threw for the first time since landing on the injured list Saturday and should be throwing at full strength Tuesday. Depending on how that session goes, Vodnik could either be activated or be sent on a brief rehab assignment.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Graterol (hamstring) could return from the 15-day injured list as soon as Friday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Graterol will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, and he may require only a couple of appearances with the affiliate before getting the green light to rejoin the Dodgers. The right-hander opened the season on the IL due to right shoulder inflammation before being activated Aug. 5, only to strain his right hamstring in his first appearance of the season for Los Angeles.

Suarez picked up a save Sunday, allowing one hit and one walk during a scoreless ninth inning against the Rays. He struck out one.

Suarez managed to cling onto a one-run lead, allowing a couple of baserunners with one out in the ninth before retiring the final two batters to slam the door on his 30th save. Suarez had allowed runs during each of his previous two appearances and, even with Sunday's scoreless effort, has allowed seven batters to reach base over his last 2.2 innings stretched across three outings.

Junis covered 3.2 innings in relief in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Brewers in 11 innings, giving up one earned run on two hits and no walks. He struck out one batter.

Junis tossed four scoreless innings in his first start as a member of the Reds his last time out Tuesday against the Athletics, but he shifted back to the bullpen Sunday while the Reds added Brandon Williamson (shoulder) to the rotation. Since Williamson (66 pitches, 3.1 innings) wasn't fully stretched out in his return from the 60-day injured list, Junis (62) ended up taking on a similar workload while piggybacking him. Even with Williamson's return, the Reds still have only four healthy starters at the moment, so Junis could be needed for a spot start or bulk-relief appearance during next weekend's series with the Mets.